TEXT OF THE YEAR 2007 END-OF-YEAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE GOVERNOR OF OSUN STATE, HIS EXCELLENCY, PRINCE OLAGUNSOYE OYINLOLA HELD IN OSOGBO ON THURSDAY, 27TH DECEMBER, 2007

Your Excellency, the Deputy Governor,
The Hon. Speaker, Osun State House of Assembly,
My Lord, the Chief Judge of Osun State,
Other Senior Government Functionaries,
Distinguished Invited Guests,
Gentlemen of the Press,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

        It is with gratitude to God and the highest sense of responsibility and commitment to duty that I, once again, brief the media on the activities of our administration in the going year.  As you all may recall, during my maiden address to the good people of Osun State, I pledged, on behalf of my colleagues in Government, that we shall operate a transparent and responsive administration which places emphasis on probity and accountability through the running of an open-door policy.
        It is in the spirit of the foregoing that we are assembled here today, to render an account of our stewardship.  As I look back at the last twelve months of our administration, it is important we give glory to God Almighty for His support and guidance at all times.  I am sincerely convinced that there is much for which we all must be justly grateful.
        From the beginning of the first term of our government, we made it clear that we are determined to render selfless, quality and invaluable services to our people, in line with our mandate.
        Accordingly, we have not lost sight of the fact that we owe the citizenry a great deal of responsibility and debt through the implementation of focused strategies targeted at the socio-economic and political development of this society. It is in this context that we have continued to introduce purposeful measures as well as implement programmes and policies which have direct bearing on the living standard of the citizenry.
        This year, government took off with the greatest zeal and enthusiasm; for which I salute members of my team, all those who have stood with us and as well, shared the burden of leadership and service.  One notable feature is our having to re-order and re-arrange our priorities and implementation strategies to keep some of the articulated programmes in progress during the year.
        Ladies and Gentlemen, we are aware of the expectation to see rapid results from our developmental efforts.  That is understandable, in view of the fact that we have a pact with the citizenry, who have entrusted us with the enormous and important task of managing the affairs of State.     I am happy to state that we have, in the going year, been able to remain true and faithful to the direction we set for ourselves.
GENERAL ADMINISTRATION:
        Mindful of the need to translate our vision into concrete steps for progressive action, two additional Ministries and one Department of government were created. They are the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, the Ministry of Environment and the Bureau of Special Duties.  The overriding consideration for their creation was our strong conviction that these new ministries would enhance efficiency and deliver perceptible results.
        Largely, our administration has paid particular attention to the reconstruction of the polity and the breeding of confidence and stability in our social system. Our various policies have been directed at consolidating the progress made over the past few years.
        Largely, we have predicated governance on such fundamental principles as patriotism, public interest, social responsibility and loyalty to the people of this State.  The Public Service, as the hub of Government’s activities, has continued to construct on the foundation already laid for sustainable socio-economic transformation.
        It should be borne in mind that the ability of any Government to perform effectively and meet the expectations of its people depends on several factors. Chief among these is the resources at the disposal of such a Government. We have thus made conscious efforts to widen our revenue base.
I am pleased to state that our approach to governance has been to strive harder to ensure improvement in the quality of life of the people of this State.  Looking back at the last twelve months, one cannot but give gratitude to God for the level of development, peace and progress witnessed in this State.
        Let me now proceed to highlight sectorally, our performances in the going year:
AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES:
        Consistent with Government’s determination to achieve adequate progress, effort was made to realize a preponderance of the hopes and aspirations expressed for the sustainable growth of agriculture in accordance with the year 2007 Budget. The importance of agriculture as the mainstay of the economy of Osun State has been sufficiently emphasized. In this connection, Government has funded land preparation and promoted extension services on crop and plantation management.
In addition, our administration has provided agricultural credit facilities to all categories of farmers in the state for the purpose of boosting agricultural productivity and enhancing the efficiency of production.  Other areas to which attention were paid include livestock and fisheries, in which government encouraged individuals to embark on fish farming, while artisanal fishermen were organized into viable co-operative societies.
Our efforts were also geared towards boosting agricultural produce, particularly cocoa and cashew, while production of seedlings and produce from tree crops in the state have increased considerably. It is our intention to continue to fund agriculture substantially with the objective of utilizing this all-important sector of the economy to develop our rural areas and attain self-sufficiency in food production.
Let me stress that Government will, in the new year, combat the activities of those engaged in smuggling of agricultural produce through the effective monitoring and policing of our borders. Pest control activities would also be heightened while storage and preservation would be accorded due attention through the completion of the 1000 metric tonne-capacity warehouses at Oyan, Osogbo, Ilesha and Ogbaagba.
It is to be noted that 734 participants were recruited under the Youth Agricultural Empowerment Programme, OSSAYEP, and are currently being trained in the various aspects of agriculture in nine centres across the state.
On investments, we will continue to support and encourage the two investors that have given indication of their preparedness to establish two Ethanol-Biomass plants in Osun State, while efforts would be geared towards promoting further, integrated and mechanized farming.
In the area of agricultural credit administration, it is planned that a total sum of One hundred and fifty million naira (N150) will be disbursed to farmers across the State in the coming year under the interest-free Government Guaranteed Agricultural Loan Scheme. It is also envisaged that a total sum of Five million Naira (N5m) will also be disbursed to farmers under the internally Supervised Loan Scheme as a supplement. This is aimed at enhancing the production capacity of practicing farmers across the state.
COMMERCE, INDUSTRY AND COOPERATIVES:
A significant progress was made in this sector during the year under review. As indicated in my public speeches at various fora, the enabling environment for the sustainable growth of enterprise has been created and we have recorded commendable achievements in our aggressive investment drive. Largely, government has been able to ensure that what we have achieved in this sector in the preceding years are maintained and further consolidated to ensure steady development and progress.
        Given our commitment to the implementation of our policy of Private-Public sector partnership for the development of our economy, this administration has ensured that would-be investors in and outside the state and country embrace this concept with enthusiasm in order to fully participate in the industrialization of our state.
        Efforts are on-going to ensure the commencement of physical construction work at the Livingspring Free Trade Zone which has been designed to serve as the catalyst for the rapid industrialization of this state. This activity will be pursued with the greatest vigour and dedication in the coming year while the laying of the ground work for the influx of investors and tourists into Osun State has been addressed.
        We will encourage the development of small-scale Industries while prospective investors will continue to be accorded all the incentives that would make their businesses thrive in this environment. It is against this background and for the purpose of achieving the foregoing objectives that I have given directives that all the projects being designed or in which local and foreign investors have expressed interest be advertised on the Website of the Government of Osun State. In this regard, we believe that we would be able to match-make willing investors as well as get those interested in Joint-Venture projects to accomplish their desires expeditiously and transparently.
        Ladies and Gentlemen, may I announce that we are determined, in the coming year, to facilitate the construction of two five-star hotels in Osogbo immediately, under a Build-Operate and Transfer (BOT) arrangement. This step will undoubtedly consolidate the purposeful development of the hospitality industry and the maximization of the use of our natural potentials for other purposes and for the good people of Osun State. This will evidently further boost activities at the newly-approved Institute for Hotel and Catering Management, a training school for those engaged in the hospitality industry and which will be engaged in Osogbo by the Federal Government also, in the new year.
        I sincerely believe that Kajola Investments Company Ltd, which was formed with the backing of government, will play a useful role in our attempt at developing our state. To complement our economic drive, our administration, during year, re-structured the Osun State Investment Company Limited (OSICOL) and the exercise culminated into the engagement of professionals, including a new Managing Director\Chief Executive Officer to run the company effectively. Among others, we approved a new business plan and upward review of the company’s share capital to five-hundred million naira (N500m).  The company, has therefore, achieved profitability within the first six months of re-structuring with all previous years accumulated losses brought forward or written off.    
 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT:
        It is evident that we must still do more to assist the integration of the private sector and the inflow of private capital into the development process. In this context, we made conscious attempts, during the period under review, to attract Foreign Direct Investments into the State. It is worth mentioning that several foreign investors have indicated their preparedness to move over and participate in the economic development of our State. In realization of the fact that this State is in a hurry to develop and the need to effectively coordinate our investments drive, which I am personally supervising, I have set up an Implementation and Monitoring Committee charged with the responsibility of ensuring that all our projects come on stream latest by the end of the first quarter of the coming year. I feel sure that with utmost patriotism, commitment and dedication on the part of members of the Committee, all the projects already designed and which are already under active implementation will be delivered as planned.

EDUCATION:
        Government, during the year, made a substantial effort to fully implement its promises to the electorate in this sector.  One of the positive results of our bold initiative in the Education sector is the establishment of the Osun State University, a multi-campus institution. The university commenced operations, formally, last September. Government is determined to ensure that its goal of making UNIOSUN a world-class university is attained within a reasonably short period.
        In addition, our administration has continued to fulfill its obligations to the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, jointly owned by the Governments of Osun and Oyo States.  In recognition of the need to produce high-quality graduates from our Tertiary Institutions, we have, in the past few years, continued to provide enormous funds for these centres of learning.
        Government has provided instructional materials and constructed numerous blocks of classrooms to cope with increasing school enrolment and as replacement for the numerous dilapidated structures in our institutions of learning. Provision of free text-books for our primary and secondary school students cost our government about eight hundred and twenty million naira (N820M) in the going year. A sum of one hundred and ten million naira (N110M) was expended on the procurement of furniture items for public primary and secondary schools during the same period. Other notable expenses include the release of fifty-eight million naira (N58M) for the payment of State bursary and additional One hundred and two million naira (N120M) for payment of centralized Local Government Bursary Awards for Osun State indigenes in Tertiary Institutions through the federation.
Furthermore, we have continued to pay the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Board  for Technical Education (NABTEB) examinations  fees of final year students of Osun State origin in Secondary and Technical Schools.
        With regard to staffing and their welfare, I must state that the situation has improved considerably from what we inherited. The provision of instructional materials has been given a boost with the purchase and supply of reference books for our schools. I consider it noteworthy to state that Government has equally continued to boost the morale of staff engaged in the education sector through regular training, promotions and other welfare packages.
 FINANCE AND ECONOMIC PLANNING:
We have continued to place great emphasis on probity, transparency, accountability and due process in our public finance management. Our fiscal policies, as in the past years, have been prosecuted in accordance with our guidelines for improved revenue generation, prudence and allocation of resources in line with budgetary provisions.
The monitoring, control and implementation of the Budget have been carried-out successfully in the course of the year. The Ministry of Finance, in conjunction with the Due Process Office, ensured that all Agencies of Government complied strictly with Budgetary provisions by ensuring that only those projects that were provided for in the Year 2007 Budget were recommended for execution.
The year 2007 Approved Budget, among others, recorded the following achievements:
(i)             provision of adequate infrastructural facilities like Road Transportation, Rural Electrification, Water supply, qualitative Education, Health services and Industrialization, among others.
(ii)          prompt payment of salaries and allowances of all employees of the State Government;
(iii)       adequate funding of various micro-credit schemes towards poverty alleviation;
(iv)       payment of pensions and gratuities of retirees.
On the management of external finance and debt portfolio, it is worthy of note that the Osun State Government did not obtain any loan either externally or internally to finance any of its projects. However, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development ensured adequate servicing of inherited debts from past administrations in the State.
INTERNALLY GENERATED REVENUE:
Taxation has remained the dominant source of Internally Generated Revenue. To this end, our administration has ensured the constitution of veritable organs of tax collection close to the people throughout the state.
I wish to put on record the fact that about N2.2 billion was generated as Internally Generated Revenue between January 2007 and November, 2007. This amounts to 92.85% of the cumulative Revenue Budget Estimate for the period. This is a remarkable achievement in the IGR since the creation of the State in 1991.
        I wish to seize this opportunity to solicit for the co-operation, support and voluntary compliance of all taxable adults and other revenue payers resident in this State. They are enjoined to be alive to their civic and mandatory obligations by paying all taxes, Licenses, Levies and Fees promptly and as at when due, in order to provide necessary funds for government to meet the requirements of the citizenry.
TOURISM AND CULTURE:
        The Ministry of Culture and Tourism was created this year to further give vent to Government’s goal of making this state a tourists’ destination as well as promoting our very rich cultural heritage.
        It is with great delight that I wish to announce that the proposed Institute for Black Culture and International Understanding has been approved as a category II institute to be sited in Osogbo under the auspices of UNESCO. Construction work has commenced on the project which would serve as a centre for research, learning and exposition of the rich cultural heritage of the Black race. It is anticipated that the establishment of the centre would give tourism a boost. To cater for the teeming visitors and tourists to the state, a 100-bedroom en-suite hotel was designed as part of the structures that would be constructed at the centre. We plan that the Hotel project would be put in place under a Build-Operate and Transfer arrangement and would be run independent of the Institute for Black Culture and International Understanding.
        I need not re-emphasize the fact that this state is absolutely rich in terms of culture and tourism. I, therefore, call on investors to identify tourism projects they may be interested in for the purpose of developing them if need be, with our Government, as Joint Ventures.  We are determined to ensure that our Tourism Resources go beyond occasional visits for relaxation to form the bed-rock for the emergence of a broad-based tourism industry with a potential to earn foreign exchange.
        It is gladdening to announce that the Federal Government, only last week, conveyed to us its decision to establish the National Training Institute for Catering and Hospitality Management in Osun State. The institution will hopefully take-off in Osogbo in the new year.
TRANSPORTATION:
        I feel proud to observe that construction and maintenance of roads were also accorded adequate attention in a bid to enhance the movement of people and farm produce within and outside the state.
        It is delightful to note that rehabilitation work on the upgrading of the aerodrome in Ido-Osun to an Airport has commenced, while flights are expected to be originated from the location in the not-too-distant future. The contract for the construction of the Airport project has been awarded at a cost of N3.8 Billion.
        Similarly, the present administration, in its avowed determination to make life comfortable for our people has continued to accord greater priority to road construction, rehabilitation and maintenance across the entire communities in the State.  Government has equally recorded remarkable achievements in the construction and maintenance of public buildings and street lighting.
We have successfully carried out construction of roads, rehabilitation and maintenance across the six geo-political zones. A sum of N2.4 billion was expended on the construction of about 120 kilometres of roads which have been fully completed, while several others are at various stages of completion.  The priority road projects carried out during the year are:
                 i.            13.63km Iragbiji – Egbeda  -  On-going;
                 ii.            16.58km Ijebu-Jesa – Ere – Ibokun Road 
                 iii.            18.50km Ife – Famia – Akinlalu Road 
                 iv.            30.00km Ejigbo – Ife Odan – Owu – Oyo State Boundary road 
                 v.            32.20km Ikoyi – Oranran – Ago Owu – Farm settlement road; 
                 vi.            20.27km Ede – Alajue – Aminiwon – Osu Road;
                 vii.            19.70km Osu – Ilobu – Oke Bode – Kajola; 
                 viii.            Rehabilitation of Oore – Agbeye Road;
                 ix.            Ede (Oke-Gada)  - Awo – Iragberi – Ejigbo – Oyo State Boundary road;
                 x.            Dualization of Akoda – Olaiya – Old Garage Road;
xii.   Aiisu – Ede (Cottage Hospital) Ede Road;
        In order to make the state roads more passable and durable, the Government, during the period under review, established the Osun State Mobile Roads Maintenance Unit, tagged: OSMOROMAT. This unit has commenced in earnest, routine maintenance works on our roads.
In the coming year, efforts will be made to purchase earthmoving equipment such as Graders, Bulldozers, pay- loaders, Tar boilers and roller pavers to facilitate road maintenance, while provision of quarries and asphalt plants will also be accorded priority attention.
WATER SUPPLY:
        Permit me to note with great satisfaction our outstanding performance in the area of provision of potable water to the citizenry. To-date, 35 Mini-water Schemes have either been completed or are at advanced stages of completion in various parts of the State.  Added to this effort of Government is the continued maintenance and upgrading of existing water head-works as well as regular supply of potable water to our various communities.
        The urge for doing more is ever more pressing. In this regard, concrete steps would be taken to ensure the faithful monitoring of the prosecution of the Ilesha and Ile-Ife urban water-schemes which are at various stages of construction. In addition, we will not relent in our resolve to ensure the re-reconstruction of the Ede\Osogbo water scheme, which will gulp an enormous amount.
HEALTH:
        Government has continued to inject huge resources into the prosecution of its free qualitative health care programme. Sizeable amounts have been committed into the purchase of drugs and dressings for use in our health institutions. Medical equipments were procured to the tune of N141 million under the free qualitative health care programme of government. The programme of staffing of our health institutions has also been vigorously pursued. It is expected that two Drug Manufacturing Companies, one of which will produce anti-malaria Drugs, will go into operation in the coming year. This is one of the results of our investments promotions drive.
POVERTY ALLEVIATION AND JOB CREATION:
We have always operated with the conviction that in an increasingly interdependent society as ours, some degree of dignity for our people is an essential element of peace, security, stability and prosperity. Government has, therefore, focused intensely on poverty reduction programmes and moves to ensure the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals.
Our Community-Based Poverty Reduction Project has targeted the increase of access of the rural poor communities to socio-economic infrastructures. This is being prosecuted through community-driven development approach; by making funds available to various communities across the State to build infrastructures according to their needs. A total of two hundred and eighty-two million naira (N282 million) was committed into various projects under this programme in the going year. The Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, though, newly created; has focused intensely on the empowerment of Women, Children, the aged and the less-privileged to enable them live a fulfilled life. The Ministry is expected to commence school social work in the coming year as a means of reducing cases of delinquencies.
INFORMATION:
        We have continued to operate a policy that places great premium on accountability and transparency. In this regard, information about the activities of our Administration has always been laid bare for the citizenry to monitor our progress.  We have endeavoured to reach every strata of the society to be able to appreciate and understand the working of Government.
        Ladies and Gentlemen, we recognize the power of information hence our operation of an open door policy as evidenced by my monthly appearance on the channels of Osun State Broadcasting Corporation to give accounts of our stewardship. It is noteworthy that the construction of an ultra-modern Government Press Building has been completed and will be commissioned very soon.
        In the light of the current global developments, we have continued to pay particular attention to the development of our website, a modern Information Technology set up. We believe that this facility, apart from enhancing efficiency in the public service these days of e-Governance, would also ensure a better understanding of the workings of our Government by people all over the world.
OSUN STATE BROADCASTING CORPORATION:
        Enormous resources have been injected into the Iwo Television Project to make it a model in Africa. The Reality Television Complex has reached an advanced completion stage and is being equipped in accordance with the original concept of the Station designed to generate revenue for government. Our administration is making concerted efforts to ensure that part of the facilities provided in the Iwo Television Station, such as Guest Chalets, Conference Centre of international standard and small-scale industrial factories for the manufacturing of Cassettes and Video Cassettes are run as joint venture concerns which will generate revenue. Already, I have given directives that expressions of interest be sought from local and foreign investors who may wish to partner with government for the management of the Station.
SECURITY AND DISPENSATION OF JUSTICE:
Our state has continued to maintain its track record with regard to the maintenance of law and order. Without doubt, this State is one of the relatively most peaceful States in our country.  In line with our adherence to the rule of law and respect for the judiciary, government has refrained from interfering in the affairs of the judiciary.  However, this administration provided an enabling environment, and will continue to improve on this through proper funding of the judicial arm of government.  It must be stated that the Customary Court of Appeal was established in the going year, while the Alternative Dispute Resolution body, as practiced in the advanced nations and which encourages amicable resolution of disputes out of Court, was also put in place.  We will, in the coming year, embark on a sensitization campaign for this global contemporary development in justice delivery.
WELFARE OF STAFF AND PEOPLE:
Government has continued to give the welfare of its staff as well as the welfare of the people the desired attention. This administration is one, which has combined consideration for humanity and physical achievements. It is gladdening to note that we have been able to pay the salaries and allowances of workers as at when due.  Only last week, government concluded interviews for all categories of workers who are due for promotions. Furthermore, Vehicles Loans amounting to about N2.5 billion naira were approved for public servants in the going year.  Housing Loans were also made available.
It is hoped that public servants as well as the entire citizenry in this State would reciprocate this good gesture of government by giving their total support to this administration in the months and years ahead.
GENERAL ISSUES:
This year, we were able to attract into this State, new facilities like the Central Bank Branch, the NNPC mega-station and the FERMA asphalt plant. Construction work is on-going at the site of the Osogbo branch of the Central Bank. Efforts are also on-going for the establishment of a branch office of the Geological Surveys of Nigeria Agency and the Zonal Office of the Consumer Protection Councils in Osogbo. It is most certainly worthy of mention that we have facilitated the award of contract for the construction of the Airport at Ido-Osun. Construction work on the facility, whose design and other preliminary requirements have been completed would commence very soon. May I, happily inform our people that the Governor’s Lodge in Abuja was completed and commissioned. Government is also making conscious efforts to ensure the completion of the Osun State Liaison Office, Abuja, in the coming year. The Governor’s Lodge in Lagos will also be reconstructed.
I must not end this address without pointing out the fact that the development of this State is the joint responsibility of all of us, the stakeholders.  We realize the fact that the agenda before us is a very formidable one.  One of the proudest claims of our administration is that it has at its heart, a concern with people-centred development.  But, even as we make these commendable strides, we honestly expect our antagonists to criticize us as we remain irrevocably committed to the realization of our set objectives.  Such criticisms have been taken in good faith, even when they have been done with the worst of intentions and provocations.
        Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish to utilize this opportunity to thank all of you; particularly our royal fathers, community and opinion leaders, our friends and well-wishers, the entire workforce, security agencies, our critics, the press and other interest groups for assisting us to consolidate the progressive path already charted for the development of this State.
        It becomes imperative to stress that without the cooperation of the citizenry, however right our actions could be, achievements of targets will be impossible. We must therefore cooperate and rise to the challenge of the times, as we can no longer afford to be left behind.  Let me re-assure our people of our commitment to work even harder, in the coming year, to justify the confidence reposed in us.
        Finally, it is with great joy that I want to commit all of us citizens of Osun State and Nigerians all over the world, into the hands and care of God in the remaining days of this year and throughout the coming year.
        I thank you all for listening and may God Almighty bless you all.